Corrosion-Resistant Fertilizer Storage Solutions: A Smart Investment

“Everything that fertilizer dust touches wants to corrode.”

That was a serious concern voiced by one of our Legacy Building Solutions customers, and he’s right. Fertilizers can be insidious when it comes to corrosion, causing increased maintenance headaches and expenses and reducing the lifespan of your building.

Corrosion is Costly 

Whether you’re storing dry or liquid fertilizer, you need to protect the product’s viability, but you also need to protect your building. Unfortunately, traditional metal structures are particularly vulnerable to corrosion. Legacy ExxoTec™ buildings are a more effective investment because they offer corrosion-resistant advantages that result in a long building life and lower maintenance costs.

Fertilizers can encourage corrosion through direct contact or by passing corrosive gases such as chloride into the interior environment. Moisture can render fertilizer worthless as well as encourage building corrosion, so humidity is an important consideration—even more so if the building is located in a coastal area where the air is not only moist but salty.

Hot-dip galvanizing is often the industry standard for corrosion protection, but it is not the most effective. It does slow the corrosion process, but, inevitably, after a few years corroded areas must be repaired—and it’s difficult, if not impossible, to replace the hot-dipped zinc coating. Maintenance like this takes time as well as money. 

The Legacy Solution

We use rigid steel I-beam construction to create the exoskeleton for each tension fabric structure. However, instead of hot-dip galvanizing, building owners who want more protection can utilize our proprietary EpoxxiShield™  epoxy coating. The coating is available in different formulas and application methods to match specific usage environments. When maximum corrosion resistance is required, customers have three choices:

• EpoxxiShield™ COR Plus
• EpoxxiShield™ COR Pro
• EpoxxiShield™ COR Elite

Compared to hot-dip galvanizing, our epoxy coating assures far more reliable and durable corrosion protection. We know that’s true because we put it to the test—an aggressive salt fog test. After 2,000 hours:

• The EpoxxiShield™ COR Elite sample showed negligible corrosion.
• The hot-dip galvanized sample suffered areas of both general rust and pinpoint rust.

Fabric Cladding Adds Extra Protection

Along with the specialized coating that protects each building’s steel components, Legacy’s ExxoTec™ fabric cladding is naturally resistant to corrosion, making it a more cost-effective choice than metal. An interior liner can be installed to provide further protection.

The cladding on Legacy Buildings blocks ultraviolet rays which can degrade some types of fertilizers, especially those that contain iron, which negates their value.

Passive ventilation offers another layer of protection, eliminating dangerous heat and humidity buildup. Indoor temperatures above 80 degrees Fahrenheit can degrade many types of fertilizer so that they lose value. In some cases, heat-caused chemical changes can cause the fertilizer to ignite. With their high-strength framework and 100% custom design, ExxoTec™ buildings can also easily accommodate HVAC systems as well.

The result? A fertilizer storage structure that is uniquely capable of protecting the product you’re storing as well as fending off potential corrosion that could damage the building itself and your long-term return on investment.

A building that lasts longer and requires less maintenance is a better investment. If you want to take a deeper dive into the world of corrosion protection and tension fabric structures, our free e-book has the details. And if you have specific questions, our Legacy team has the answers you need and the expertise to help you design the ideal ExxoTec™ building for your fertilizer storage needs.